Yang Family Tai Chi Discussion Board

Is there 1 step push hands training in traditional Yang style Taiji? It is used mainly for training application, counters, redirection and for absorbing the opponents force, it is very close to free style.

Being from a Tung Ying Chieh lineage I have no idea if this from Yang style, Tung or Hao style.

Just curious
Thanks
T

Hi T,

Could you describe this practice? I am not sure what you are referring to.

Take care,
Audi

Edited by T December 26, 2006

This was a double post.

[This message has been edited by T (edited 12-26-2006).]

It may be a Tung thing, I'm not sure or it may be I do not know the name. It is kind of a cross between freestyle and 3 step. 3 step is obviously 2 steps more and basically the moving version of stationary 2 hand practice and free style is well free style Tai Chi sparring if you will and it moves more than 1 step.

One step is I see an opportunity and step towards the person I am doing push hands with for example Ji they respond and then push hands continues either they step forward immediately or when they see an opportunity and I need to absorb or redirect or if I am caught entirely off guard fall on my butt. It tends to move fast as you get better and it is not taught or talked about until after stationary, 3 step, and 4 corners has been done for awhile.

It is nothing all that spectacular but it is rather fun. I was just wondering is there was a traditional Yang equivalent without the Tung influence.

Not to go off topic but the reason for my question is I just found out the long Dao form I do is directly from the Tung family (Tung Hu Ling, friend and classmate of my Sifu) not Yang.

I am, as I said before, much better at showing than explaining.

*** My apologies if this is a double post. I posted and nothing happened, I left and came back 5 minutes later and my post was still not there so I reposted.

T

Hi T,

I think I understand somewhat better what you are talking about and have to say that I do not whether Yang Style has this particular practice or not. Let me explain, however, how the curriculum is supposed to work, as far as I understand.

You start with fixed-step and learn innumberable circle patterns and ways to transfer smoothly between them. With this background, you can train push-hands applications and engage in freestyle tests of push-hands technique, using no pre-agreed patterns.

You then do moving-step, which has three variations: straight step, cross step, and a combination. The combination step is known as the Da Lu (Great/Big Rollback), which has a specific and special hand pattern at its base, but which also has other variations.

Each of these patterns starts with a basic variation with fixed directions in which you can step. Each, however, can be varied so that the direction in which you step may be varied to a certain degree. With each of the moving step variations, you can engage in engage in freestyle tests of push-hands technique. These will involve whatever number of steps you want.

Take care,
Audi

Thank you

We do that as well and it sound similar.

I did forget to mention that this 1 step pattern does not always go in a straight line, It can turn and circle.

Thanks again

Hi T,

The Yang Style patterns can circle as well, since you are ultimately not restricted to stepping in linear fashion.

It sounds to me that the traditions are substantially the same, except that you may have a variation that specifically restricts applications to one-step. I have not done enough of that kind of work to say whether or not the Yangs do this.

Take care,
Audi

It is just another tool in training applications and gaining sensitivity, there are other ways that it is done as well so there are on restrictions, I was just wondering if Traditional Yang without Tung had something similar.

Thank You